Studies Show Fewer Gun Deaths in States With Strict Gun Laws

By Ryan J. Foley
Do states with stricter gun laws have less gun violence than those with few restrictions?

Researchers who have studied the issue argue they generally do, but with some caveats. They cannot say whether the laws, or some other factors, are the reason for a lower rate of firearm deaths and that there are exceptions.

President Barack Obama addressed the matter in a news conference hours after a gunman killed eight students and a teacher at an Oregon community college.

"We know that states with the most gun laws tend to have the fewest gun deaths," Obama said.

The White House says Obama based his claim on a report published in August by the National Journal, which found that states with the fewest gun-related deaths — including homicides, suicides and accidents — had stricter laws than those with the highest number. The study looked at laws such as those that require permits to purchase handguns and universal background checks on sales.

Looking at 120,000 deaths over a four-year period, researchers concluded that a "higher number of firearm laws in a state are associated with a lower rate of firearm fatalities in the state, overall and for suicides and homicides individually." They acknowledged exceptions, with some states featuring loose restrictions but low rates of gun deaths. They also cautioned against drawing a cause-and-effect relationship, saying more research was needed.